Tried an NX Today

[olliesgrandad]

Well i've had my 2015 GS300h Luxury for 10 months and covered in excess of 23,00 happy miles in that time.

I'm now thinking of changing cars in the next 3 or 4 months. With an impending baby grandaughter due in July I have been considering changing to an SUV to make the carriage of prams and babies easier.I took a quick look at the Toyota RAV 4 but was disappointed with the quality of the trim compared to Lexus so didn't try one.

Today i had some time so called in at my Lexus dealer and took a 66 plate NX300h Luxury for a drive. Nicely put together machine I have to say. Salesman reset the mpg indicator to zero when I drove. Interestingly on a trip of around 15 miles of mixed driving it showed 39.6mpg so about right.

Unfortunately the ride was for me was the deal breaker. Every imperfection in the road surface was felt through my seat and the road noise from the tyres added to the negativity. I certainly wouldn't want to drive 500  miles a week in one. Perhaps the facelifted version with the improved suspension is better (but sadly out of my price range).

The  seats were rather rather tight and unforgiving to the extent that my right side ached after the drive ( I previously had a 2014 IS F sport 300h and didn't have an issue).  Perhaps an SUV is after all not the right vehicle for me.

I think that I shall now have to look for a newer low mileage GS in the coming months.

 

[ColinBarber]

Maybe try an F Sport, as they have different suspension which some feel ride more comfortably. Or an RX, much more GS like.

[steveledzep]

Yes, try an RX.  Like driving an armchair !  You may have to settle for a slightly older one due to budget constraints.....that's what I did and couldn't be happier.

Our new granddaughter arrived mid-January and everything works well.

[sorcerer]

What Steve said above ^^^^^

As far as I'm concerned, the RX is the dog's danglies .

Could do with being a bit better on fuel though, although it's been cold since we bought it so I'm hoping for some improvement over the summer months.

[olliesgrandad]

30 minutes ago, sorcerer said:

What Steve said above ^^^^^

As far as I'm concerned, the RX is the dog's danglies .

Could do with being a bit better on fuel though, although it's been cold since we bought it so I'm hoping for some improvement over the summer months.

The RX would be on my wish list if I were a low mileage driver but I use my car for work  and while i can justify 38 mpg  as opposed to the 42 -46 mpg my GS does my 30,000 miles a year would certainly cost a lot more in the RX for the small amount of time i'm transporting children.  Perhaps when I retire thought things might change....

[Chris Skelton]

 

You need 'Citroen' suspension?

Modern cars do seem rather firm to me too.

LPG the only answer to big car + mpg?

( comfort is my interest as well)

I'm looking again at (original)IS200s now.

[First_Lexus]

I had an F-Sport NX as a courtesy car for three months and found both the seats and ride far harder than the standard NX. I couldn’t live with it personally, but find the standard NX fine.

I also had an RX F-Sport for a few days and was underwhelmed. Personally I found the ride hard and it was surprisingly noisy IMHO.

I think if you are used to a big luxury saloon you’ll struggle with many SUVs. That’s the compromise you’ve got to deal with. You’d maybe be better off looking at a large estate of some flavour, giving the space with a saloon like experience. The new Volvos look nice...

By far my favourite courtesy car so far was a GS. Maybe that tells you all you need to know...I’d have a GS in a heartbeat but need an SUV for the height due to mobility issues.

 

[rayaans]

The 4RX is pretty much as quiet if not quieter than a GS at speed. Ride is about the same trim for trim. 

Obviously don't go for the F-Sport if you want a smoother ride - the benefit of the F-Sport though is going round bends and roundabouts in Sport+ mode, its a bit unrealistic tbh for such a big, long thing 

Oh and the power though, nothing really like it in the Lexus range bar the F models, especially with the loss of the GS450h

[mrfunex]

We travelled thousands of miles across France last year in my wife’s 2009 RX450 and it was superb. Pretty comfy across bumpy French country roads, superb at 85 on the toll roads (didn’t seem to naturally want to go much faster, although it could certainly do it...) and fairly economical (30-32mpg) for a 2+ton brick! As mentioned before by @steveledzep, it really is like driving an armchair - the bigger Lexuses have a certain refinement that the smaller models can’t hope to match.

[Mr Vlad]

So the model you test drove was the luxury trim. Just to throw a twist in to this thread. I'm on my 2nd is300h premium. My current one is beyond superb. However my 1st premium was ruddy awful. Same age cars and mileage. 

If I were you I'd try another NX and another. Go premium spec. 

I'm thinking of getting an NX thanks to grandkids lol.

A question to current NX owners who've had/got is300h. 3 inbthe back of the IS is tight. How is it in the NX? I'm looking at a baby seat and a thin teenager and their mother in the back. Poor teenager is squashed in sat in the middle. 

[as13]

My NX was pretty noisy and it felt everything through the steering but the change of tyres wiped that right out now it's quieter (not silent)  and a lot more giving through the steering

[chris_fletcher]

I had an IS300H Premier and took an NX for 24 hours. IMO the IS was a far better ride and quieter so the NX was not an "upgrade". Agree on rear room for 3 though and I think the NX will be better there. I opted for an RX which is streets ahead of the NX in every way. I have had NX courtesy cars 3 times whilst mine was in for warranty work on seats and a door ratle and always looked forward to getting back to the RX

[rayaans]

It does appear that the tyres do make a lot of difference on the NX though in terms of ride comfort and noise. Unfortunately, the RX doesn't have many options unlike the NX in terms of tyres, so I don't know whether they'd make a huge difference on the RX as I opted for the OEM bridgestones

[First_Lexus]

On 02/05/2018 at 7:59 PM, olliesgrandad said:

The RX would be on my wish list if I were a low mileage driver but I use my car for work  and while i can justify 38 mpg  as opposed to the 42 -46 mpg my GS does my 30,000 miles a year would certainly cost a lot more in the RX for the small amount of time i'm transporting children.  Perhaps when I retire thought things might change....

I've got a top of the range GS 300h while my NX is at the dealer (again) today. I had one earlier this year too and was very impressed.

Having also had a new RX for a few days earlier this year, and now having had the GS again today, I much prefer the GS. I'm not saying the RX isn't a good car, but I didn't find it quite as awe inspiring as some seem to. I certainly would pay the extra for one over my NX.

The GS on the other hand - IMHO - is in a different league altogether. Yes, comparing a luxury saloon with a luxury SUV is tricky, but the GS doesn't have the ride or road noise issues that I found in the RX. I also find the interior a nicer place to be. If I had the choice, I'd have the GS every time.

[javadude]

Got an IS300h as a courtesy car today. Smoother ride than my NX (not F Sport and has Mitchelin Cross Climate tyres). Also big reminder of how awful the NX engine is. The (also) 2.5 litre engine in the IS is much smoother (being a V6), quieter, faster and more economic (although that might be in part to the different body shape etc). Wishing I didn't need the practicality of the NX luggage space.

[First_Lexus]

1 hour ago, First_Lexus said:

I've got a top of the range GS 300h while my NX is at the dealer (again) today. I had one earlier this year too and was very impressed.

Having also had a new RX for a few days earlier this year, and now having had the GS again today, I much prefer the GS. I'm not saying the RX isn't a good car, but I didn't find it quite as awe inspiring as some seem to. I certainly would pay the extra for one over my NX.

The GS on the other hand - IMHO - is in a different league altogether. Yes, comparing a luxury saloon with a luxury SUV is tricky, but the GS doesn't have the ride or road noise issues that I found in the RX. I also find the interior a nicer place to be. If I had the choice, I'd have the GS every time.

Meant to say I certainly WOULDN'T pay the extra for an RX over my NX. I would pay the extra for a GS, but I need the extra height of an SUV for easy access. Doh!

All SUVs are a compromise I guess. I live very rural so prefer height and 4WD and also need the height to help get in and out. If only I'd have been able to afford a car like the GS twenty years ago...

[steveledzep]

55 minutes ago, javadude said:

Got an IS300h as a courtesy car today. Smoother ride than my NX (not F Sport and has Mitchelin Cross Climate tyres). Also big reminder of how awful the NX engine is. The (also) 2.5 litre engine in the IS is much smoother (being a V6), quieter, faster and more economic (although that might be in part to the different body shape etc). Wishing I didn't need the practicality of the NX luggage space.

The IS250 had the six cylinder engine.  The IS300h is a four cylinder.  I guess it's the same engine in the NX but maybe tuned differently.

[javadude]

5 minutes ago, steveledzep said:

The IS250 had the six cylinder engine.  The IS300h is a four cylinder.  I guess it's the same engine in the NX but maybe tuned differently.

Wow, but it so smooth and quiet compared to the NX. Rev the NX and you just get this embarrasing loud revving sound and no action. My daughter's Peugot 106 sounds better revved.

[ColinBarber]

6 hours ago, steveledzep said:

The IS250 had the six cylinder engine.  The IS300h is a four cylinder.  I guess it's the same engine in the NX but maybe tuned differently.

They aren't the same engine but from the same family. The IS has direct injection and makes more power. It doesn't therefore have to rev so much, although I'm sure part of the revving is the transmission software on the NX - it shouldn't have to rev as much as it does.

[steveledzep]

Thanks for the clarification Colin.

[rayaans]

On 5/10/2018 at 1:51 PM, First_Lexus said:

I've got a top of the range GS 300h while my NX is at the dealer (again) today. I had one earlier this year too and was very impressed.

Having also had a new RX for a few days earlier this year, and now having had the GS again today, I much prefer the GS. I'm not saying the RX isn't a good car, but I didn't find it quite as awe inspiring as some seem to. I certainly would pay the extra for one over my NX.

The GS on the other hand - IMHO - is in a different league altogether. Yes, comparing a luxury saloon with a luxury SUV is tricky, but the GS doesn't have the ride or road noise issues that I found in the RX. I also find the interior a nicer place to be. If I had the choice, I'd have the GS every time.

I've had extensive mileage in all Lexus vehicles past 2005. The 4RX is not any more noisy than the GS so I dont know what you've been hearing. 

Interior quality of the RX and GS are almost identical too.

The RX actually registers 60.1dB at 70mph. The GS450h 59-63.0 dependent on spec, NX300h 61.7 and the IS300h 63.5dB. 

So if you think about it, the GS is almost the noisiest car tested in F-Sport trim

[First_Lexus]

26 minutes ago, rayaans said:

I've had extensive mileage in all Lexus vehicles past 2005. The 4RX is not any more noisy than the GS so I dont know what you've been hearing. 

Interior quality of the RX and GS are almost identical too.

The RX actually registers 60.1dB at 70mph. The GS450h 59-63.0 dependent on spec, NX300h 61.7 and the IS300h 63.5dB. 

So if you think about it, the GS is almost the noisiest car tested in F-Sport trim

I can only base my opinions on my own experiences, so that's what I've done. I'm sorry if that doesn't match up with the 'science' but knowing somebody well who has worked as a development engineer for Toyota, MINI, Lotus and JLR I certainly won't place too much emphasis on any official figures...🤣🤣

I did like the RX, but tbh I just can't see what all the fuss is about. It's a good car clearly, but not as good as I expected based on opinions I've read from owners. That's what opinions are all about I guess. Mind you, the RX I had was an F-Sport and the GS I have is a Premier. Softer, quieter and comfy is what I want, so my opinion might be different if I had a Luxury spec RX.

[rayaans]

4 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

I can only base my opinions on my own experiences, so that's what I've done. I'm sorry if that doesn't match up with the 'science' but knowing somebody well who has worked as a development engineer for Toyota, MINI, Lotus and JLR I certainly won't place too much emphasis on any official figures...🤣🤣

I did like the RX, but tbh I just can't see what all the fuss is about. It's a good car clearly, but not as good as I expected based on opinions I've read from owners. That's what opinions are all about I guess. Mind you, the RX I had was an F-Sport and the GS I have is a Premier. Softer, quieter and comfy is what I want, so my opinion might be different if I had a Luxury spec RX.

They're not official figures, they're independent figures from a cabin noise testing company.

Just seems to go against what almost everyone says including me. 

The GS is quiet but its not noticeably quieter than an RX. Obviously the ride will be dependent on spec though. But the Premier spec GS has similiar wheels to the F-Sport GS so in terms of noise should be louder. 

[First_Lexus]

1 minute ago, rayaans said:

They're not official figures, they're independent figures from a cabin noise testing company.

Just seems to go against what almost everyone says including me. 

The GS is quiet but its not noticeably quieter than an RX. Obviously the ride will be dependent on spec though. But the Premier spec GS has similiar wheels to the F-Sport GS so in terms of noise should be louder. 

Fair enough, I'm obviously wrong. I'll go and slap myself for having a different opinion. 🤐

 

[Mr Vlad]

Well I went to look at a NX. One was next to a 62 plate RX450H.  Both cars looked very similar physical size. NX a 66 plate btw. Boot size of the RX good however the middle seat is awful according to my wife who sat in it whilst I test drove it. The sales guy said no lexus has a good middle seat. It' not a luxury car thing! Mind you I wasn't impressed by the RX which suprised me. Sounded lovely tho but didn't shift as I'd have thought it should.